


The Ignorant Mermaid

by ticklishivories



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-19
Updated: 2013-05-19
Packaged: 2017-12-12 07:23:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/808873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ticklishivories/pseuds/ticklishivories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is your 18th birthday, and you will never see the light of the sun again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ignorant Mermaid

Today the sun is bright and warm and matches perfectly with your mood for a change. It heats up the surface of the ocean to an irresistible temperature and you spend a good part of your morning basking in the rays that penetrate through the water. The light feels good on your skin and especially good on your tail fin. You scratch your scales and stretch your limbs into a comfortable position.

You sigh contently and close your eyes.

Today is your 18th birthday.

Today is also the last day you will ever see the light of the sun again.

It’s not like you’re dying anytime soon. You laugh out loud at the thought though, because dying sounds a lot more fun than spending the rest of your life living in the furthest depths of the ocean. The entirety of your childhood has been spent on the surface, investigating shipwrecks and plundering goodies off the shores of beaches. Sometimes if you’re really lucky, you find bottles of liquid you are positive are magic potions, and you like to pretend you’ve been put under a spell when the burning liquid spills down your throat. It doesn’t taste good; nothing like the salty water you’ve grown up with, but it really does put a spell on you, turns your mind a little fuzzy, and makes you happy about things that really aren’t anything to be happy about. It makes for a great laugh.

You smile at the memories. What’s so great about the ocean anyway? It’s only black black and more black darkness. Booooring. Down there, no one would be able to see your pretty blond hair or your pink tail fin. Both of which you take great pains into making look perfect. But your mom thinks that living down there would be safer. You can’t blame her for having thoughts like that. The surface terrifies her, especially after your brother died. He was harpooned by humans. It was no one’s fault, but she still blames herself.

Lately you’ve been spending a lot of time in the sun. It’s super dangerous in this area since your little family of mutant fishes lives near a harbor (you only call yourself that as a passive aggressive jab at your mom’s fear of humans) but you like watching the people go about their daily business. You aren’t interested in their lifestyle and you prefer the awesomeness of having a tail, but you sure as heck can’t say that there aren’t some fine looking land dwellers.

You breach the surface and take a big gulp of air. It’s that time of day again, so you quickly swim towards the blockade of rocks that veil the small, quiet harbor. You perch yourself on a larger rock and look out towards the house that overlooks the entire beach.

Every day at this exact time a man sits at his piano and plays music for you. Well, you like to pretend it’s for you. You also like to pretend that you are the only one in the world that has ever heard him play, and are watching him sitting in his room instead of through a window. His songs are the most angelic you’ve ever heard, second only to the voices of your people. You’ve dreamt countless times of singing with him. You quickly decided you loved him. He is perfect. You are perfect for him.

But he doesn’t come. You wait and wait, but his beautiful black hair never appears in the window. You want to call for him, but you realize you don’t know his name. Angrily, mournfully, you cry out to the sky.

You’ll be damned if you’re never able to see him again.

And suddenly you spot him, emerging from the waters less than a meter in front of you. He is laughing, he is smiling, and he is wearing nothing but trunks and shaking water droplets from his disheveled hair. You are so relieved and excited that you want to call to him. But you don’t. You simply enjoy the view.

He had been fishing, just for sport apparently, because he hadn’t brought any supplies to bring his trophies home. After splashing around in the water for a little longer, he sighs and sits on the edge of the beach, his feet barely touching the waves.

You are overcome by sadness. You don’t want to leave. You don’t want to go away forever and never listen to his music again. You love him so much. You wish he could come with you.

And why not?

Mother would be upset, but she’d get over it. Her fear of humans would be forgotten once she hears his music. The other mer-folk would adore him. He would love the sea, and he would love you more. He would be the perfect birthday present.

Your smile is so big you reveal your deathly sharp teeth.

You open your mouth, wide, and begin to sing.

He hears you immediately, his head snapping in your direction. Your voice almost falters when your eyes meet for the first time. They’re so _beautiful_.

You continue your song, calling for him in your native language. He stands slowly, his eyes never leaving yours. Excitement builds inside you as he gets closer. When the waves are pushing at his chest and he is beneath you, you slither off the rock and join him in the water. You grasp his hands and pull him towards your home.

You’ve never touched a human before. His skin is rough and much darker than yours but he is thousands of times more gorgeous up close than through a glass barrier. Your smile is huge and you never stop singing.

You can’t wait to introduce him to everyone.

You are wading in open water now. He is listening so intensely to your song that he doesn’t notice the harbor disappear behind the rocks. You wrap your arms around his neck, press chest to bare chest, and sink under the surface.

\--

You are guiding him in the general direction of your home. Words pour senselessly out of your mouth and blend into inconsistent mush and blabber. Yet you can’t stop the words or the excited stammering of your heart. It is difficult swimming with the extra weight since his legs are so useless but it does not deter you. Briefly you turn around to look at him, maybe ask why he’s so slow.

He is still staring at you-at least you think he is. His blue eyes are not wide and focused anymore but blank and half-mast. He is not swimming along with you but floating like dead weight in the water.

You ask him what’s wrong. He doesn’t answer. You say it a little louder. Bubbles escape from his parted lips with sickening regularity.

He must have fallen asleep. You grasp his face in your hands and tell him to wake up. He doesn’t move. His vision stays locked on the empty ocean just behind you.

Your lips begin to tremble and your voice cracks when you ask him to wake up again, a little quieter, a little more desperate. You don’t understand. Why won’t he answer you?

You wrap the beautiful boy in your arms and hold him against your chest. Your pleas go unheard, your tears vanishing like smoke in the ocean. You pretend that he is okay. You pretend that he returns your embrace and answers you. Together you sink into the depths of the ocean.

No one hears the young mermaid cry for a man she never knew.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry about the ending. I would have tagged it but I didn't want to give anything away.


End file.
